who's family was torn apart by the nazis. she is live to tell us about her detail that is taking off on amazon. quite a story. >> and later on a lighter note, sarah simmons is learning how to pound away the pounds. you don't want to miss this new exercise class popping up at gyms inside the dc area. >> everybody is trying to get in shape. >> that's right. >> everybody? >> not you. what were you leading to? >> i think he was talking about you. >> okay. thanks. >> it's a new year. >> it's cold overnight and overnight temperatures falling back in the teens and low 20s. going to be a cool afternoon.

highs will only be in the upper 30s to 40. pushing down south and east in georgia now. that's our front from yesterday. far enough to our east, we'll be looking at generally sunny skies around here. won't be perfectly sunny. but mostly sunny conditions and dry. not expecting rain or winter weather around here any time soon. 40 degrees daytime high. cool afternoon with winds out of the west at 5 to 10. nothing too extreme here. and the weekend forecast looks good. i'll have that in a few minutes. >> thanks, tuck. >> new this morning, the search for a missing maryland man is over following a grim discovery. dc police tells fox 5 a body found in the ventilation unit is that of michael poe. the 23-year-old from clarks burg maryland had been missing since leaving a group of friends during the early morning hours of new year's day.

it's still unclear whether his death was intentional or an accident. >> dc leaders will hold a news conference later today to discuss the city's record low homicide rate for 2012. 88 homicides in the district last year. that is the lowest number since 1960. he'll join police chief to discuss what the city is doing to keep those numbers down. >> prince georges county police department #12e7ing up efforts to cut crime and get guns off county streets. there will be 125 additional officers on the street each night this month. they will be deployed to areas in the county's transform neighborhood department. >> our big story this morning comes from capitol hill where later today the 113th congress will be sworn in. the new congress will bring with it historic changes and

also be forced to deal with key issues from the start. our melanie has been following this story all morning long. and she's live with the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, allison. and yes, this new congress comes in with many old members from a rough political season. and there are few signs that this congress is going to get along any better than the last. 12 new senators and 81 new representatives will take the oath of office this afternoon. the 113th congress is a bit more diverse with more female, black, hispanic and asian law makers. gay members. and the first black republican . and the fewest number of veterans since world war ii. even on an issue like disaster assistance, there are deep divides. law makers were furious tuesday when house leadership refused to bring the relief bill passed in the senate up for a vote.

fiscal hawks in the house says the senate package was loaded down with spending. >> the fact is the senate didn't do their job. they send us a bunch of pork and left town. that was just wrong. >> the bottom line is simple and that is now we have to start all over. easy passing a $60 billion bill in the senate. now, we're going to have to start from the beginning again. >> and those attitudes of course the divisions and the differences will remain here. again, the house is going to try to pass its own version in the next two weeks and then send it back to the senate. but if it's not an easy vote, could be several more weeks before those people up in new york, new jersey and connecticut will see any of that relief money for hurricane sandy. and in a matter of weeks, we're going to have these really tough

philosophical issues when it comes to where to parcel out billions of dollars in automatic spending cuts. how to spread that around and debate on whether to raise the debt ceiling and that is going to have to come up in just a few weeks. we're already past our debt limit. and secretary said that is going to run out just by the end of february. we can see right off the bat here, tony and allison, a lot of really big issues these new members of congress are going to have to deal with. >> they are going to have to hit the ground running. all right. thank you, melanie. >> the local delegation of congress contains two new members. democrat john delaney is the new representative of the 6th district. and former virginia governor tim kaine will be sworn in as the new senator from the commonwealth taking the

seat vacated by jim webb. one of the first actions being taken is the demand the house restore her right to vote in the committee of the whole. that would lead congress woman eleanor holmes norton right to vote. it was taken away when republicans took control of the house. >> checking our other top stories. family, friends and officers will gather in prince william county to say good-bye to a fallen hero. 35-year-old chris yung died in the line of duty monday after his motorcycle struck a mini van. there will be a wake for yung today in woodbridge. his funeral will be held tomorrow at the same location. he was a 7 year veteran of the force. the crash is still under investigation. >> metro transit police are

asking for your help tracking down four men on a connection. the men are suspected of attacking two women on the number 93 bus. investigators say the men got on the bus. the woman got on in anticostia. one woman was stabbed. the other hit in the head. >> serious crime is relatively rare where you have people who are injured. however, we do recognize that we are a part of the overall society in the washington d.c. area and crime does happen. we're putting our resources in place to make sure that we can limit these type of crimes from happening again. >> police don't believe the suspects and victims new each other and are asking you to call them if you know who the men are. you can get a closer look on myfoxdc.com. as for the two women, they were treated and released from the hospital. >> all eyes are on the community

of newtown today as surviving students, teachers and staff of sandy hook elementary go back to class. >> they are headed to new classrooms at a new school just down the road. robert is live with more on the truly emotional return. robert, good morning to you. >> reporter: allison and tony, good morning to you. we are in monroe, connecticut which is 7 miles away from newtown from that awful shooting scene. when these students resume classes just in a few minutes, they will be attending chalk hill middle school. it sat empty but now back into service. it was needed after this shooting three weeks ago. volunteer workers have spent the last three weeks or so getting this school ready decorated it and cleaning it. bringing over the old furniture so that students have a familiar

environment to attend classes in this morning. and the school interestingly is being renamed to sandy hook elementary school. and you see that on a sign right out front. when we drove up here this morning, we're about 4 miles away from the school. but we were near the school this morning. and you can see signs welcoming these students to class. this town is really throwing collective arms around these kids as they try to return to normalcy. >> i think the whole nation joins in that collective hug. thank you so much. we wish the community much love and success moving forward. >> still ahead at 9:00 now, the count down to kick off. show you some of the pregame fun at red skin's park. the mayor's bet and how the home team fans are showing off their support. >> but first, family history project that became a must read word of mouth hit. the author

of german girl joins us with her amazing story of survival. it's 9 minutes after 9:00. we'll be right back. 

vivian was just a little girl when the nazis achieved full power. though she wasn't jewish, her father was. she and some of her loved ones survived the war and determination to exterminate the jews. now, she has recently decided to write down that story of what happened during the war years and afterwards. started as a project just to keep family history arrive and other people started reading and praising it and her share of loss and tragedy. the story has been read time and time again now. but also shines a light on love, survival and the bravery of those who fight.

vivian joins us now. this is the book right here. started out as a labor of love for family members. >> indeed. i started to write it longhand. there's too much to tell. and i wanted my family to know and the grandchildren to know what happened in life. and i was the only one who could tell that. >> were you surprised at everything just flooded back? >> yes. i would sit in the same chair for four years. it took me four years to write. i didn't know how to type when i began. and my memories go back to 1942 when i was 4 years old. >> then it becomes this word of mouth success if you will. why do you think people are so drawn to your story? >> well, i write in great detail. and i tell the life of a young girl who is caught in

this war. there are the bombs and hiding and i'm a hidden person because i'm not proclaiming that i'm jewish. i was an mishling which means mixed breed. i was not allowed to go to school. my grandparents are protestant lutherans. they saved me. they sought my father because he had escaped from a prison. and that was a big no-no. so he was sought all over berlin. so i rarely saw him. i think i have three incidents where i see him. and the last time i see him, he's across the street from me smoking a cigarette and i'm playing with children. >> how old were you at that point? >> i was 6 years old. >> how did you know? it's amazing to me at such a young age that you shouldn't run

across to see him. >> because the times were so dangerous and at my home with my grandparents i heard nothing but terror stories and had he had come to interrogate me as well. i knew the dangers and i knew my mother had been imprisoned. >> i'm getting ahead of the story. there's so much to tell. but for a year your mother was imprisoned. they wanted to know where your dad was. and she didn't know. what was that year like for you? >> well, i lived with my grandparents and they were wonderful and we had bombs because berlin was bombed steadily. as jewish people we were happy about but not for others. and it was very frightening. we lived in our cellars a great deal because there were so many attacks. we were in a cellar when we couldn't get to a shelter.

>> the picture and as i said i'm getting ahead of myself. you have german girl but you have the question mark by it. who is this in the picture with you? >> this is my father. oh, this is my mother now. >> your brave mom right there. but she's talking about the cover of the book itself. i don't know if we have that picture. if you could describe it. it tells the whole story. >> it really does. because my father who is being sought is there in the open. he's not wearing a jewish star as he is supposed to. he's holding a german shepard on a leash which is a big no-no. jews were not allowed to have pets or fur coats or joules or telephones. i could go on and on. >> and when you pick up german girl you'll see there is an nazi

soldier there. your world could have changed so drastically. >> my father would have been arrested. i would have been arrested and we would have been deported. >> at the end because there is so much you would move to the united states. >> yes. i was an immigrant in the united states. i did not speak english. and it was a great time of adjustment because at that time there were no classes for people who spoke only german, let's say. >> and the last time you saw your father? >> the last time i saw my father was in 1984. i visited him in italy because during the war through great means which are all described in my book with documents he escaped to italy as an italian officer though he did not speak italian. >> is that this picture here? >> that was the last time i saw him.

he did die in 1985. and it was done november 1984. >> you know, you don't need me to tell you this but you are a true hero and inspiration. you sit here today so lovely but your story has twists and turns and challenges. >> there are. >> thank you for coming in and seeing us. >> i also wanted to say i'm a cancer survivor and i wish everyone good health and good heeling. >> german girl with a question mark racing up on amazon. everybody wants the story and we can all learn from the story and move forward as a more peaceful world. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back.

 next time you stop for a cup of joe, you can help the environment too. today starbucks is rolling out a $1 reuseable plastic cup. the

coffee giant gives customers a dime discount when they bring in reuseable cups. the cup pays for itself in 10 uses. an australian couple may need starbucks to keep them energized. they are running the equivalent of a marathon everyday of the year. allen and janette are doing it to raise money for charities. on new year's day they started out in melbourne. she was diagnosed with cancer. she hopes the couple's efforts will inspire people to make healthy choices. >> president abraham lincoln's handwritten draft of the emancipation proclamation is on view for the next month. putting the first draft on display starting today. it is the on going exhibit called quote the civil war in america. that's the title. it will be there until february 18th.

the library of congress is doing it to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing. >> still ahead in our next half hour, pounding away the pounds. we'll check in with sarah for a look at a unique fitness trend. >> the guys behind the sopranos has a new story to tell. our movie reviewer sat down with the stars of not fade away for a look at the life in the rock and roll hay day of the 1960s. >> and robert griffin iii sports reporter? we'll show you his prank on his head coach next. pretty funny. let's check in with holly. >> reporter: this news reporter is checking out this newest place for your kids to play. just opened in its third week now to rave reviews. we're checking it out and showing you why you and your family will want to experience it. it's all live later on fox 5 morning

news. stay with us. ♪

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coach, we just wanted to know -- >> you got me by surprise there. who is this guy? >> what did you do for new year's? >> tried to put a good game plan together. wasn't sure how healthy you were. >> of course that's robert griffin iii playing a prank on coach shanahan days before the skins faced the seahawks. who knew he had reporter skills. that's not bad. >> have we ever seen him laugh that much? dc mayor vincent gray is showing signs. he bet the mayor of seattle. the mayor of the losing city must fly victor's flag at city hall.

you get it? you understand? >> yeah. >> both men talked about the wager at the news edge at 11:00. >> it's a way of us to communicate this is a city that's taxed without representation. if we are fortunate enough to be able to win the flag that seattle will fly we'll say no taxation without representation on it. >> it's nice to be able to stand up for dc citizens and help them with the political cause. i'll tell you something, it's going to be nice to see that flag flying in dc. >> too bad you are not going to see it, sir. >> in fact, we take you off the screen. >> we want to share more of your skin's spirit. >> look at that. cathy e-mailed this picture this morning. she is decked out in front of the redskins pick-up truck. she is serious. we want to see your redskins spirit. we're asking fans like cathy to email your

pictures and videos to redskins@wttg.com. you can catchall the redskins/seahawks action this sunday right here on fox 5. our pregame show starts at 3:30 and the fox network pregame is at 4:00. kick off at 4:30. >> all weekend long football. >> good games on this weekend. >> sure is. >> tucker barnes is here. with more on today's weather. >> i was going to mention one of the other games but decided not to. >> it must be that houston cincinnati game. >> not on our station. >> we have the red skin game. >> all right. let's do temperatures. it's cold out. overnight fell back into the teens and low 20s. gradually warming up and should be another

nice looking day. it is going to be on the chilly side. don't forget it is january after all. high temperatures only to about 40 later today. 22 in hagerstown. 25 in gaithersburg and baltimore. here in town, 31. 32 in quantico. fredericksburg, you are 34 . chilly temperatures here area wide to start the day. looking at the satellite radar. cloud cover across the region. clouds roll through during the overnight hours. and off to the south and east, a lot of rain showers. gotten far enough south, we're not concerned with it. it is producing rain down into the carolinas. high pressure out to the west. we're seeing clearing skies. just like yesterday, not going to be a perfectly sunny day. along with dry conditions for the future. i mean right through the weekend into early to middle

of next week. we don't have a whole lot going on. the theme is cold and give us a cold one tonight and still chilly conditions tomorrow before we warmup. by the weekend, that area of high pressure will be far enough off the coast that we'll get a southerly and southwest wind. >> 40 today, sunshine. winds out of the west at 5 to 10. and 30 tonight. clear skies. cold overnight. wind s out of the west at about 5. here is your forecast. 30s today and tomorrow. and check out your game on sunday afternoon. mid 40s with partly sunny sky and 50s around the corner. tuesday and wednesday back in the 50s. nice january that you on the horizon. tony and allison, back to you at the desk. >> check this out. yesterday tucker saw l es mis. not thrilled with it. >> he just didn't like the time. >> no, he didn't like the movie. >> set in new jersey, the new

movie not fade away followed by a group of people determined. david chase of the sopranos. >> our movie reviewer kevin talks with the three young lead actors about the struggles faced by the rockers in that film and whether that journey reflected real life struggles. >> the whole idea about your father wanting to take this secure safe path in the film and you really wanted to become a musician. as actors, did you deal with family members saying it's going to be a hard path to get there? >> my dad would have liked me to get a law degree or something. yeah. the story is telling risk

and safety. that whole theme. but when you have that passion, you got to do it. you want to be a musician, you got to be a musician. >> my dad was a lawyer. and initially he said that's great being an actor . he was supportive but do a degree. have a back up plan. >> i don't want a back up plan cause i'm gearing toward failure. >> my dad was a falconer. he flies birds. he was like don't be an actor. i was like really? he was fine with it. >> the whole idea seeing you 7 nights a week. 2 shows a night and come back to me. paying your dues. where's the balance of paying your dues to follow your passion and also not winding up homeless and with no

money? >> that's a tough question. it certainly takes work and the people who i respect as actors and creative artist all have a good work ethic. so there is a balance. >> i think if you are out on the street and you are homeless, then maybe you want to reevaluate. i would never tell anyone to give up on their dreams. that balance is so hard to find. >> 10% inspiration. 90% perspi perspiration. you have to work and work and work for it. >> wow. that guy jack houston is in board walk empire. >> completely different. >> that's amazing. not fade away opens tomorrow. looks good. >> her song became one of the biggest hits of all time. coming up, a look back at patti

page and the move she made that spread around the music industry like wildfire. >> plus, are brangelia official? why some people think they may have tied the knot over the holidays. it is 9:36. [ male announcer ] when your business is powered by verizon, you can do more business per second. and with more reliable internet, that's more per second. and with a dedicated line, it's more per second. and with an additional line, it's more... table for 15? [ male announcer ] ...per second. but most importantly, it's more... mmm! [ male announcer ] ...per second. get verizon high-speed internet and phone for just $84.99 a month when you sign up online with a two-year price guarantee.

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♪ i remember the night and the tennessee walk ♪ . >> look at her there. singer patti page has died. she is best known for the songs how much is that doggy in the window and tennessee waltz which became the third best selling record ever. 100 million records in her career. get this. in her song confess , she dubbed over her own voice cause she couldn't

afford to have back up singers. she was the first artist to do this. a big breakthrough. now it's done all the time. double tracking is what they call it. she died on new year's day in california weeks before she was to be honored with a life time achievement award at the grammies. >> 100 million records sold puts her -- >> that's among the biggest selling artists ever. >> interesting. >> a lot of younger people don't know her name. but she was a big star. >> right. okay. >> 85 years old. the rumor is turning about a brad pitt and angelina jolie wedding. >> may have tied the knot inthe. spent the holiday with family members. so far no official confirmation. they announced their engagement last april after 7 years together.

wish them success. >> yeah. >> american idol will be back but you can be one of the first in our area to see the premiere. season 12 already. go to myfoxdc.com to enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to an exclusive advance screening. followed by a live interactive q and a with the judges. >> today 10 winners will be chosen to win two tickets to the american idol advanced screening at the amc theaters in alexandria virginia. you can see the complete rules on our web site at myfoxdc.com. >> how long ago does the randy, paula, simon line up seem to be?

up next, you don't want to miss this. >> holly is taking us to my town where we are meeting the candidates for mayor and how this exhibit is helping promote social engagement among children. >> plus, pounding away the pounds. if you are looking to get fit this new year, sarah is showing us a new class that combines music to get you in shape. we'll be right back. share everything. share brotherly love. share one up's. mom ? mom ? the share everything plan. lets your family share a pool of data across 10 devices with unlimited talk and text.

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national harbor is already a great place right? >> yes. >> but now a new place for the little ones. >> the national children's museum opened last month. including a chance to participate in dc's most famous business. politics.

holly morris joins us live. >> reporter: this mu museum keeps getting cooler. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you know what i like about this section is the fact you really anticipate most of the visitors coming to the children's museum are going to be from the dc area. >> that's right. >> we have so many people come from the outside. but this is a museum we can own. >> this is prince georges county and miss a map of my town. we're going to go quickly. this is where you can put your voter registration. >> you are learning how your town works. version of a little town. >> and in the little town, you might encounter the pizza shop. what's so interesting is this is

a place where you can listen and discuss. everybody has ideas and you can make a pizza. you can talk about what's going on in my town. should you use a dog park and use money to build the farmer's market. and right across from the pizza shop is the fire station. and just so happens that the pizza owner is the volunteer fireman. and if there's an emergency, he gets dressed and he's a fireman. and right over here is where you can cast your vote. and you can get a ballot and come over here. before you cast your vote, you need to go to the campaign office. you have to meet the candidates. and they are right here making campaign buttons. how cool is it both candidates are working together. >> both candidates are right here. >> she's the manager of theater

programs. good to see you. tell me about awesome and cool here. >> awesome and cool are actor interpreters. that's a term that's used in museums. they engage with the kids and talk about their platforms. they are voting for a reason. they are voting to ban soda machines from their school or voting to encourage school uniforms. they are thinking about the candidate they are voting for. >> what kid votes to ban soda machines. you don't have to answer that. >> are you awesome or cool? >> i am pat awesome. good morning, everybody. the two main points are to make bike helmets a law and keep vending machines in schools. >> oh, really? i like that. if you are awesome, you must be mr. cool. >> i am indeed. >> what makes you mr. cool? >> i believe we should ban soda

machines. >> why is that? >> i believe sodas are unhealthy for children. i believe keeping high sugar sodas in schools is unhealthy for them. >> i think bike helmets should be a law. >> really the only difference is whether we have soda machines in school or not. so how does it run? >> it's interesting. you have the gamete of children who want their choice. they want to have the choice to choose soda or the choice to wear a helmet. but find the kids who are coming from communities or homes where they know a distinct right and distinct wrong. they think everybody else should be wearing a bike helmet as well. >> how interesting to watch their minds work. do you think when they come to this experience, they get it? >> they absolutely get it. >> and you will get it if you bring your family out here. open 7 days a week. 10 until 5. myfoxdc.com is our web site . back to you in the studio.

>> holly, thanks. starting next week, you can try a new fitness routine at crunch gym using drumsticks to exercise. and no not chicken. >> that would be a good one. >> sarah similar on september back to show us how to pound away the pounds. >> i know that's what you are thinking about. we're talking about working out. a lot of people are making their resolutions right now. the big thing is trying to stay motivated and people need to find something new to keep them inspired. they have a new class at crunch fitness. and here to show us some of the moves we have drumsticks. chad is one of the instructors over there as well as nicola. and we have another instructor tanya who will be teaching as well. chad, first start off, tell us what

this is about. how can you really workout with drumsticks? >> pound is a full body cardiosculpting class. each song has a routine to it you will learn. we were practicing yesterday and i'm sore now. >> you are actually sore and you are a personal trainer. you are going to be teaching a good portion of the classes as well. what kind of muscles are we working? >> everything from your abdominals, your biceps, triceps. >> so it's a full body workout essentially. if you come in you get the whole thing. >> the whole thing in 45 minutes. >> is it difficult to do? a lot of times people get scared off if it's a lot of steps to do. but you guys are learning

these routines and stay on a routine for a while. >> yeah, we'll transition you through and keep you going. it's all about having fun. and you get to hit the floor. if you have any aggression, get it out. >> that's an easy way to do it. the drumsticks themselves. you can get weighted ones. these are not anything special. >> they are slightly weighted. >> they are a little heavier than a normal drumstick and they are green. >> cause that makes them cooler. we have more time here. we wanted to see one of the routines. i'm going to let you take it away. i'm going to try a little bit here. i'm not in workout clothes. tucker barnes, are you around? he's over there in the corner. he's being cheapish over there. let's show one of the routines and i will follow you guys for a little bit.

oh, i can do this. >> tap away. inhaling and exhaling. arms over the head. nice and slow. tapping the sides. >> modification. >> we're going to speed this move up. >> speed it up. and down up. down up. good. keep going. last one. now you want to take it forward. now, all the way up. double tap. down, good. all the way up, double tap. now, hold it here. lunge to your left . >> i'm out. >> all the way right. back to the center . >> all the way up. good. throw that

high up. get ready. double tap. good. all the way up. >> where did tucker go? >> all the way back to rainbow. double tap this time. tap up. we'll speed it up . >> the workout is at crunch fitness here. the new phenomenon. you can find out about the classes that start next week. myfoxdc.com. we have a link to crunch to find out more about the class. thanks, guys. back to you tony and allison. >> is it a coincidence they all have these great arms? >> look at her arms. i want arms like that. i'm trying.

>> thank you. >> after tucker takes a little break there, has a drink, he'll be here to tell us about the weather. >> this is a slight warmup with the cold day we've had coming up. this is burfee. his message is hail to the redskins. look at the pants he's wearing. he's got pants on . we want to give you thank you for sharing this photo. if you'd like your pet to be featured, send your picture to petpix@wttg.com. >> we do love our pets. tomorrow, it's friday. i'm answering the first ask allison question of 2013. so if you have a question you'd like answered, send it to me. we take questions on a whole bunch of stuff. head to myfoxdc.com and click on the morning tab for a link to ask allison. whatever you didn't want to ask the

former weather guys, you can ask me. we'll be right back.



look at this video. it's going viral. that's super man flying high over the beaches of southern california. a man cruising down. it's a custom built version of super man. it's run by remote control. the video's gotten more than 115,000 hits on the internet. that is cool. >> here's something else. check out this photo that's trending on facebook as we continue to say hail to the redskins. >> we have a photo to see you. >> there it is. keep calm and beat seattle. this is a play on the old -- >>